Improvement in hemp-brakes



IVI. THOMPSON, Jr.v

Hemp Brake.

Patented Aug., 5, 18,56.

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PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN HElVIP-BRAKES.

l Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 5,498, dated August5, 1856.

.To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, Mnniwnrnnn THOMPSON, Jr., of St. Joseph, in thecounty of Buchanan and State of Missouri, have invented and made certainnew and useful Improvements in Machines for Breaking Hemp-Stalks andother Fibrous Substances; and I do hereby-declare that the following isafull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing, Figure 1 making a part of this specication,and representing the machine complete in all its parts, thesuperstructure being formed somewhat like the ordinary construction ofhemp-brakes,.as at To the front uprights, C C', on the top ends thereof,are journal-boxes m and caps n, to receive the journals of an axle orshaft, O O, resting across the ends of the uprights C. This axle orshaft has attached to it what are termed ,swords,77 as at l? P, formedof suitable material, being beveled lon their sides similar to acase-knife or sword, and broad or stout at their butt-ends or the pointof connection with the shaft O, while they taper toward their frontends. These swords, instead of 'being parallel with each other, arewider apart where connected to the shaft O, and their ends tendingtoward veach other, as at Q, and so arranged as to be over the space T GK 'I K G.

Attached to the ends of the swords is a breaker-block, Q, to the underor face side of which is attachedv an elastic or yielding substance, asat R.

It must be observed that the shaft or axle O O in its middle is formedwith a ridge or a cani device, as at'S, which bears against and operatesa rod, formed as at T, having two ends, T T', curved or bent to passunderneath the cross-rail F, and then turned upward, and extendingoutward horizontally toward the front end of themaehine, and their endsbent or deflecting downward six or eight inches, forming somethingsimilar to a rake-tooth. This rod may be made so as to be suspended onan axis or fulcrum, as at the rod T3, to admit of vibrating through theaction of the cam device S, and to be used as a shaker or as iingers toloosen up the broken'stalks.

At suitable distances, and arranged across the top of the superstructureor framing, are two frustums of cones or conical pulleys, V V, havingjournal ends working in or resting up on suitable boxes or bearings,these frustums of cones being reversed in position-that is, the largerend of one is opposite the smaller end of the other. To each end oftheseconepulleys are iiange or rim formations, to keep in place the bandor belt W W when being shifted from end to end or over the surface ofthe pulleys, the belt being changed or shifted by means of a claw-likeor forked lever, XX, working on a vertical'fulcrum or bolt passingthrough thecross central' rail, L, at y, the

end or handle part of the lever resting on a support, Z, formed withnotches, as at & 8v 8U, and attached to the side of the machine. Thecone-pulley V, over the center of the machine,

is the driving-pulley, and has attached to the extremity of its axle abalance or flywheel, 1

y1 1 1, while to the other end of the axle the motive or driving poweris connected.

To the larger end of the outer cone-pulley, V', is a small crank-arm, f22, which connects with a sliding buffer-block, 3, made to slide freelyin an opening or slot or buffer-box 4 4,

formed, as shown in the drawings, by two plates of metal of requiredsize andflength attached to the end of a suitable sized longitudinalpitman or connection` rod, 5 5 6, to the end at 6, being a pin or boltformed with a head, t

and this pin or bolt works in the slot 7, formed in a curved crank-armattached to the end of the axle or shaft O O, as shown at 8 9; The

passing lengthwise through the extent of the slot, and over this rod isslipped a spiralA spring, 12, the spring expanding to iill up the extentof the. space in the slot or buffer.

box 4 4. The spiral is kept in place by means a vertical perch, 14,containing a grooved or fluted pulley, 15, over which passes a cord, 16

in motion, the swords or breakers thereby being caused to work up anddown andto mash or break the stalk, crack the bark, and separate it fromthe tow and finer bers of the stalks.

The important features of improvement pertaining to my machine and thegreat mechanical principle or action involved in the operation of myimprovements are, first, the compensating pitman-rod or crank-connection4 5 6, formed as hereinbefore described, with the buffer-block, spring,and elastic plugat one end, while the other end works or slides in acurved slot formed in a curved crankarm, as at 7 8 9, and through theintervention of which devices I am enabled to overcome entirely thechecking or retarded action of the swords or breakers, this checkingbeing caused in all hemp-brakes heretofore used by the undueintroduction of an excess supply of matter beneath the breaker-block, ortoo much matterin bulk,which undue or irregular feeding causes theswords and the breaker-block suddenly to be checked, thereby producingsudden concussion, jarring, and straining of parts, and occasioning notunfrequently breakage of the swords and much delay and labor inoperating any of the various hemp-brakes heretofore used. l

. It has been .thoroughly tested and most satisfactorily demonstrated bya series of practical operations with my brake that when any irregularor undue amount of feeding in of hemp occurs, that the action of theswords and breaker-block is not at all interfered with or retarded,because the buffer-block and the spring to which the small crank, 2 2,is attached play or give, thus accommodating the action of the smallercrank, 2 2, and the larger slotted crank, 7 8 9, to the amount of feed,and

thus compensate by lengthening the pitmanrod relative to the crank 2 2by the bufferblock pressing outwardly toward the end of the pitman, andthus enabling the smaller crank, 2 2, by its compensating motion, toreadily overcome and pass the dead-center point, while the forward end,by aid of the sliding pin or bolt thereto attached, moves or compensatesand changes its position in the curved slot 7 of the crank, and by whichaction the blow or stroke of the swords P P and Y,

the breaker-block is graduated to suit the amount of feed beneath' them,and consequently there is no danger of undue concussion or breaking ofthe blades or swords, nor does any delay or stoppage take place whilethe stalks of hemp are being subjected in bulk to breakage. i

Another important feature of my improvement is the double-actingclaw-like or forked lever, which, while it shifts the band or belt W W,it also performs the duty of moving the cord 16 17 18, by which meansthe end 6 of the pitman-rod is lifted or let down. This operation ofshifting the band upon the conepulleys changes the action as well as thespeed of the sword. For instance, by changing the belt or band to thelarge end ofthe pulley V, the speed of the pulley Vis increased. Thecrankjoint at 6, being extended, lengthens the leverage and diminishesthe sweep or length of stroke vof the swords, `and also diminishes themovement thereof. Then by reshifting the belt or band back onto thesmall end of the pulley V the belt or band passes onto the larger end ofthe pulley V', and the motion or speed of the crank 2 2 is decreased,and consequently the stroke or sweep of the swords and breakerblock isincreased, because the leverage of the slotted crank-arm 7 8 9 isshortened, which diminishes the action or force of the stroke of theblades, all of which shortening and lengthening of the slotted crank-armand the stroke or sweep of the Swords P I? is accomplished through theagency of the belt or bandWand the cord 16 17 1S,actuated by the forkedlever X X, and thus it is through the peculiar con struction of myimproved brake I accomplish many new and improved results, doing awayentirely with the usual uniform or monotonous rigid action of the swordsand breaker-block,

greatly diminishing the labor by requiring much less power than isrequired by other brakes, besides affording a superior article and inincreased quantity. y

rIhe size of my machine varies according to the requirements of thecultivator or producer of hemp, and, as the cost of constructing mymachines iscomparatively small, consequently growers of hemp, even on alimited scale, can avail themselves of the use of them.

Manual power, or water, steam, or horse .power are alike applicable tomy improvements, several of which may be operated at one andthe sametime.

Having given a full description of my improved hemp-brake and shown thesame in Fig. 1 complete, I will state that I do not claim a compensatingpitman as such; but] What I do claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is- 4 1. The arrangementof a compensating pitman when applied to a hemp-brake and constructedsubstantially in the manner and for the purposes described.

2. I do not claim cone-pulleys for varying the speed of my machine, northe slotted arm and shifting pitman to vary the stroke of 4the brake butwhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure vby LettersPatent, is the arrangement herein described of the cone-pulleys orequivalent mechanism for varying the corresponding change in the strokeof the speed, and the arrangement of the slotted arm brake.

9 7 8 9, and shifting pitman, as described, in v MERIWETHER THOMPSON,JR. [n s.]

' such relation to each other that by the de- Vitnesses:

scribed connection between them through the J oHN S. HOLLINGSHEAD,shifting-lever X and the cord 18, or their` WM. E. SMITH, l Iequivalents, any change of speed shall effect a JOHN S. GALLAHER, Jr.

